Burnley 1, Blackburn Rovers 0

Dan Black

Championship leading scorer Andre Gray hit the spot as Burnley did the double over rivals Blackburn Rovers for the first time in 37 years to regain pole position in the division.

The striker, who missed his last penalty against Reading in the stalemate at the Madejski Stadium, opened the scoring in the 16th minute.

Andre Gray celebrates putting the Clarets ahead

George Boyd, who had failed to test Jason Steele with a header from Stephen Ward's cross just moments prior, was the man to win the penalty when forcing Shane Duffy in to making the mistake from Ward's centre.

The £6m signing kept his cool, stroking the ball past Steele to register his 21st goal of the Championship campaign.

The 20,478 fans housed inside Turf Moor, including the 2,409 travelling supporters situated in the David Fishwick Stand, then held a minutes applause for Daniel Redman, a life-long Clarets fan who died suddenly at the age of 20.

The hosts were relatively untroubled in the opening period of the first half but, after Steele had dealt with Ben Mee's drive from the edge of the box, Rovers upped the ante inside a stadium filled with anxiety.

George Boyd and Matt Lowton celebrate at the full time whistle

After Hope Akpan made a crucial challenge to prevent Gray from pouncing on Boyd's centre, the former Reading midfielder almost impacted at the opposite end when flicking Elliott Bennett's corner narrowly wide of the upright.

The away side continued to probe and it took a magnificent save from goalkeeper Tom Heaton to preserve Burnley's lead.

Ben Marshall, a key outlet for Rovers during the derby, supplied the diagonal from a set-piece, Shane Duffy rose above Matt Lowton to nod the ball down, and Bennett's deflected attempted was turned over the bar by Heaton at full stretch.

The England international was called in to action again minutes later, adjusting his body well to thwart Akpan down at bhis left hand upright.

Andre Gray slots home from the spot

And in the closing stages of the half Akpan went to ground inside the box under pressure from David Jones but referee Mike Jones wasn't entertaining the appeals.

After the break Burnley fans sat agitatedly on their seats as Rovers continued to apply the pressure in search of an equaliser.

Marshall, popping up on the opposite flank, worked the ball on to his right boot but drilled wide of the near post from the angle of the area and then the right back was denied by Heaton when getting a sight of goal from 20 yards out.

Steele, along with his back four, remained relatively unexposed throughout the second half but the Rovers stopper was alert to prevent Gray from adding his second of the game when sticking a boot out to divert substitute Fredrik Ulvestad's attempt.

It was turning out to be one of Heaton's busier games of the season, this time the Clarets skipper plunged low to his right to tip Bennett's strike around the post after the Norwich City loanee found a route past Lowton.

Rovers boss Paul Lambert threw everything at finding a leveller, with Tony Watt and Chris Brown introduced, but they couldn't find a way through.